Why HypnoBirthing

People interested in HypnoBirthing are usually wanting a natural or unmedicated birthing experience. They are looking for a birthing class that will teach them to have a more comfortable, gentle birth and to feel more prepared for labor and birth. HypnoBirthing moms report that they feel more confident in their ability to birth their baby and they feel more competent and empowered during their labor because they have a better understanding of what is happening and know their options. The HypnoBirthing Institute collects statistics on outcomes of HypnoBirthing births and 87% of HypnoBirthing moms had no pain medication.

What is HypnoBirthing? It is a childbirth education classe created by Marie Mongan. It incorporates hypnosis in order to help moms-to-be have a more comfortable, in-control experience by teaching moms-to-be how to get their bodies to relax rather than tense up during birth. The class is usually five weeks long, two and a half hours for each class, so it is a bit of a time commitment versus taking a 4 hour hospital-based childbirth education class. The class also teaches moms-to-be the biological process of birth & how her body is meant to birth a baby without complications & extreme pain, how fear gets in the way of having a comfortable, unmedicated birth, how to write up a birth preferences plan, to have true informed consent regarding any medical procedure, and how to release her fears about birth & parenting. It is recommended that the class be taken by the mom-to-be and her partner, but single moms-to-be are welcome. Moms-to-be who have partners that are deployed are common especially in San Diego because of its large military population. They are welcome to bring a friend, relative or their doula (labor support person) with them to the classes.

Here are some testimonials from some local San Diego moms:

One San Diego HypnoBirthing mom reported that “in between contractions, I was in such a calm state; the most relaxed I’d been in months! I heard the ocean waves cd in the background and the smell of the massage oil that my husband and doula were using on my back and I almost felt like I was at the spa. The HypnoBirthing techniques helped me stay focused on keeping all other muscles relaxed, to focus on each contraction and not freak out about the whole thing. Overall, it went just as planned. Our daughter is healthy and beautiful and such a calm baby”.

Another San Diego HypnoBirthing mom shared that “I was very scared of the birthing process. When I had my son two years ago, I had an epidural. After the birth, I felt I had missed out on something. I researched my options when I got pregnant again and found HypnoBirthing. I was skeptical about the hypnosis portion, but once I took the 1st class, I knew it was going to be the class for me. The classes taught me that my fears would affect my birth experience, whether I had an epidural or not. I knew I wanted to have a peaceful birth…one where I felt in control, which I didn’t have with my first birth. I was empowered by what I learned in my classes. I was so committed to having the birth I wanted, I changed my OB and hospital in the last few weeks of my pregnancy. When I went into labor, the tools I learned in class helped me to stay calm. I did not scream once. I hummed through my contractions. After the birth, my doctor and my husband said I made it look so easy. I will always be grateful for the tools I learned that empowered me to face my fears. I am so grateful for HypnoBirthing!”.

Even moms who have gotten epidurals during their HypnoBirths tend to report having positive experiences. Here’s what one HypnoBirthing mom from North County San Diego said about her birth: “I was supposed to be induced because I was overdue (1 week), but that night, my water broke. I stayed home and labored peacefully until the morning, but needed to go to the hospital because I had Group B Strep and had to get the antibiotics. Once we got to the hospital, I was getting very tired and wasn’t able to rest enough between the contractions, so after declining all pain medications for the last 10 hours, we decided to get the epidural and pitocin because my labor wasn’t progressing. At this point, I had been in labor for over 11 hours, the pain was pretty intense and it seemed that all strength was drained out of my body. Within 5 hours of pitocin and the epidural, I gave birth! A beautiful birth! I used my HypnoBirthing techniques during the entire 16 hours of labor. I am very proud of how my husband and I worked as a team. Everything went peacefully and smoothly. While I didn’t have the unmedicated birth I wanted, I did have a birth where I felt in control of all of my choices. I know I made the choice to have the medication at the exact time I needed it. It helped me finish my birth in a more comfortable way, so even though it wasn’t a completely natural birth, it was still a very positive, beautiful, easy birth experience!”

Here is another testimonial from a HypnoBirthing mom who ended up having an epidural: “My birth didn’t go as planned. I went into labor on a Saturday night. I stayed up until 4:30 am on Sunday morning and then went to the hospital. I labored naturally until 5 pm on Sunday when I decided to get an epidural. I had labored for hours without any progress, my baby was rotated so I had back labor and he wasn’t moving down into the cervix. After getting the epidural, my body was able to completely relax and the baby turned as he was supposed to. I gave birth a few hours after getting the epidural and my baby was alert and calm. I knew I had done my best and labored as long as I could naturally. I knew that even though I opted for the epidural, I chose it because I wanted it, not because I was freaked out about the pain. I was never scared or felt out of control during my labor. The epidural helped me finish my labor quickly and easily and that’s exactly what I needed. I know that my baby was exposed to less medication because I labored naturally for so long. I can’t even imagine what my birth would have been like without having the knowledge and tools I got from my HypnoBirthing classes! I had an amazing birth experience and am so happy to have taken HypnoBirthing classes!”

The c-section rate for HypnoBirthing moms is 17% compared to the national average of 32%. Moms who are informed and educated choose to trust their body and their baby. They have less inductions and choose less interventions. But, for some HypnoBirthing moms-to-be, a natural birth isn’t the outcome that happens. In HypnoBirthing classes, information is given to the parents so that they can make the best choices for their circumstance no matter where their birthing journey takes them. A c-section is oftentimes the most dreaded experience of most HypnoBirthing moms, but it is sometimes necessary.

A HypnoBirthing mom from San Diego planned for a homebirth. But, her baby was breech and wouldn’t turn. This mom accepted the fact that she needed a c-section, remained calm during her birth and had a very positive birth experience. She said, “HypnoBirthing worked for me even though I had to have a c-section. I feel like the classes helped me know what my choices where and how to stay in control despite being in a situation where I could have felt very out of control. My husband and I used all of our HypnoBirthing knowledge and skills to ensure that we had the very best birthing experience we could in the ever-changing circumstances surrounding our baby’s birth day. I had total confidence in my ability to make informed decisions regarding my birth. I was calm and relaxed during my c-section, which helped my baby be born in a calm state as well.”

No matter what happens in a HypnoBirthing mom’s birth, the ultimate goal of the class is to have her feel in control of her birth, to make educated, informed decisions every step of the way so that she can have the best birth experience possible. For most HypnoBirthing moms-to-be, they have a natural birth. For some HypnoBirthing moms-to-be, they don’t have a completely natural experience, but hopefully they still have a positive experience.

The greatest gift any parent can give to their child is the gift of patience—patience of allowing their child to figure out their own way. Sometimes that gift starts even before their baby is born...sometimes babies have their own birth journey and no matter how much parents plan and want a certain outcome for their child, that child has to experience his or her own journey. HypnoBirthing gives parents the ability to be fully prepared in both mind and body for a natural birth, be prepared for other outcomes and still be in control no matter what happens.

Carol Yeh-Garner, LCSW, HBCE is a HypnoBirthing instructor and HypnoFertility practitioner in North County San Diego, CA. She has taught HypnoBirthing classes for over 4 years and has taught over 450 couples. To learn more about her classes and services, please visit www.AwellLivedLife.Net. To find a HypnoBirthing practitioner in your area, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com.